By Ellen Eisenberg

By Ellen Eisenberg, Executive Director of The Professional Institute for Instructional Coaching (TPIIC)

Monday, November 2, 2015

In the October 20, 2015 Ed Week online commentary, Mike Schmoker comments
that a transformation in teacher education will require the answers to two
questions:1) Are we training teachers
in methods that are among the very best practices that exist today—those with
the strongest, most enduring evidence base and pedigree; and 2) Are we
observing those principles most essential to effective training that focuses on
frequent monitoring, feedback, and follow-up training?

These two questions are very important for instructional coaches…are coaches
and other school leaders sharing the most effective (I don’t think “best” is a
wise word choice) instructional techniques, strategies, and practices with
their teaching colleagues; are teachers receiving the support they need to
ensure that the practices shared are appropriate to their students’ needs; and
are teachers given the opportunity to practice what they learn and given feedback
in real time?

As an instructional coach, you know the importance of bringing teachers
together, honoring their voices, and providing opportunities for them to share
their expertise. Remember what Urban Institute researcher Jane Hannaway said, “Teachers work in isolation. They learn
what they learn and then they plateau. They get no valid input.”You need to be the catalyst that ensures
multiple opportunities for teachers to learn from each other. Students benefit
when their teachers learn from their peers. As per the Importance of Peer Learning for Teachers study (Jackson &
Bruegmann, 2009) … when the quality of a teacher’s colleagues improve, the
students of that teacher benefit.

When teachers learn, share, and practice
together, they become more knowledgeable in their content, more skilled in
delivering that content, and more likely to engage in reflective practices
which helps them make adjustments in their teaching to better meet the needs of
their students.

Coaches are on the side of helping teachers implement effective
instructional practices by helping them identify which practices are effective
and which practices need to be strengthened.

How do you help teachers identify
their most effective instructional practices and then help them collectively
problem-solve and work collaboratively?